BURLINGTON, VT (May 3, 2013) Burton Snowboards today announced two changes to its internal sales and product leadership teams. Effective today, longtime Burton veteran John Lacy will assume the role of Chief Product Officer and continue to report directly to Burton Founder & CEO, Jake Burton. Also starting today, Sasha Dietschi-Cooper will become the SVP of North American Sales at Burton, reporting directly to Mike Rees, Burton’s Chief Operating Officer.

John brings over 16 years of Burton product development experience to the company’s first Chief Product Officer position. In his new role, John will oversee the innovation and development of Burton’s industry-leading product line, which includes snowboard hardgoods, softgoods, packs/bags and accessories, as well as anon. goggles and helmets. His main focus will be to carry out Burton’s legacy of innovating and developing products that raise the bar for snowboarding. In addition, John will continue to oversee the company’s Global Resort programs (LTR, Riglet Parks, Stash etc.) along with VP of Global Resorts, Jeff Boliba. Finally, John will take on a leadership role when it comes to developing Burton’s business model in China, a key initiative for the brand.

With this new structure, Sasha will assume the role of SVP of North American Sales. His primary goal will be to set the sales and segmentation strategy for the wholesale marketplace in North America. Sasha will also be charged with overseeing Burton’s marketplace in Canada, where the company continues to step-up its investments in sales, marketing and retail support. With this new structure, Sebastien Paradis, GM of Burton Canada, will now report directly to Sasha.

“We’re more focused than ever on the long-term success of Burton, and realigning John and Sasha’s roles reflects this priority,” said Jake Burton, Founder & CEO of Burton Snowboards. “During the past couple of years, John really stepped up and got our North American sales house in order. Now, we want to see him focus on key initiatives like product development & innovation, snowboarding participation and our opportunities in China. As for Sasha, he’s also a longtime veteran of the brand and the industry, and it was a natural evolution to have him take on more responsibility in sales. We have no doubt that both John and Sasha will succeed in their new roles.”

About Burton

In 1977, Jake Burton Carpenter founded Burton Snowboards out of his Vermont barn and has dedicated his life to snowboarding ever since. Burton has played a pivotal role in growing snowboarding from a backyard hobby to a world-class sport by creating groundbreaking products, supporting a team of top snowboarders and pushing resorts to allow snowboarding. Today, Burton designs and manufactures industry-leading products for snowboarding and the snowboard lifestyle, including snowboards, boots, bindings, outerwear and layering as well as year-round apparel, packs/bags and accessories. Privately held and owned by Jake and his wife, Burton President Donna Carpenter, Burton’s headquarters are in Burlington, Vermont with offices in Austria, Japan, Australia and California. For more information, visit www.burton.com.